Two years have passed since Camilo Zuniga’s challenge on Neymar brought Brazil to a standstill, ultimately dashing their hopes of lifting the World Cup in 2014.

The Barcelona man was ruled out for the remainder of the tournament after picking up a back injury in the quarter-finals against Colombia due to the heavy fall.

Although Luiz Felipe Scolari’s men went on to win 2-1, they were defeated against eventual winners Germany in the semi-final, and Neymar made it clear the challenge nearly forced him to quit the sport.

“I’ve had bad times during my career, but the worst moment was in the 2014 World Cup [against Colombia],” the Brazilian is quoted in la Gazzetta dello Sport as saying. “My childhood dream was to be world champion, but that was destroyed by an injury that nearly ended my career.

“It was a very difficult week, but luckily I had my family and friends by my side. It’s important to have the support of those that are close you you during those moments.”

Without Neymar, Brazil were humbled 7-1 by Germany in the semi-finals.